Post Whole 30 sadness

[Becky1979]

Hi everyone,

 

I finished my second Whole 30 on 30th January and it was everything I wanted it to be.  I got a sense of achievement, self determination and control over my body/health that I have never experienced before, not even on my first W30.  I lost the weight I had gained last year through comfort eating due to depression, the psoriasis on my scalp went away, I could get up earlier at the weekend without feeling tired, I was free from food cravings for the first time in my life and I was able to stop one of the drugs I take for psoriatic arthritis.

 

During the W30 I decided how to approach reintroduction - I would have one celebratory meal and then carry on eating according to W30 principles with one or two non compliant meals per week, when circumstances dictate or I decide it's worth it.  So far (and I know it's early days!) this has gone exactly as planned and I haven't been tempted to cheat.

 

So what I can't work out is why I feel a bit low and sad about the whole thing.  Given all of the above I should be on top of the world but I just feel really sad that it's over (which even in itself is silly because it's not over, I'm still eating that way 90% of the time).  Am I overwhelmed by the scale of my achievements and can't quite believe that little old me did all that?  Am I scared that I'll crash and burn like I did last time and undo all my good work in a flash?  Or is it something else?

 

I've done all the things you're supposed to do like buying myself a celebratory gift and bragging about my achievements to all my friends, but it doesn't seem to be making me feel any better.

 

Has anyone else had this experience?  I would be really grateful for any thoughts or insights you guys have about why I might be feeling this way.

[Tom Denham]

Maybe the Whole30 showed you that you are more capable than you knew. Maybe it is time for you to live life more boldly and generously than you have before. 

[ultrarunnergirl]

I like Tom's take!

 

This sounds very similar to what happens to distance runners after training for a big race like a marathon. The post-race letdown. You have achieved a big goal, something you were perhaps not sure you could do. Now, you miss having that big goal to strive for and to take pride in.

 

So try making a new goal. It doesn't have to be in relation to food, in fact it's probably best that it be something different. Maybe a running, hiking, weight-lifting, gym-going goal? Maybe something creative. Maybe something service related. Mull over something you would like to work toward. It could be anything. And it should probably be something you're not 100% sure you can achieve.

[Guest Andria]

Now, you miss having that big goal to strive for and to take pride in.

 

 

^This!

 

I second ultra's suggestions on taking up a new goal for yourself.  Congratulations and best of luck going forward!

[Becky1979]

Thanks so much guys, this has really helped lift my mood.  Tom and ultrarunnergirl, you both hit the nail on the head in different ways.  Thank you for your insights.

 

I am now thinking about what my next goal can be and how I can live life more boldly!  My journey of self improvement continues! 

[pennylane14]

This is so timely for me. I had beer for the first time since post-Whole30 last night, and it led to me eating a bunch of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, which has now led to intense stomach pains all night and day. I think I need that goal of something to work towards to keep me on the straight and narrow. 

[toeinthetide]

I know this exact feeling!  I think my next goal is going to be to sign up for a Yoga class or some other structured exercise class.  I maintained a mild home fitness routine throughout my Whole 30 (which I completed yesterday), a routine I had developed over the past year after starting to read Mark's Daily Apple.  

 

I feel so much more in control of my health and my appetite now!  It has given me the strength and clarity to feel capable of taking the next step in my health journey.